Kittens
by BerryEbilBunny
Summary: Damien's been acting strange the whole week and Dick wants to find out why. Slight AU and OOC. I think.


**Disclaimer: DC rules my life. And they own all recognizable DC characters and references. SO PLEASE DON'T SUE.**

"Damien, where do you go after school?"

"It's none of your business, Grayson." He snarled at the goofier Batman. For an eight year old he sure had a lot of malice and arrogance in his voice. However, it was still concerning to the cowl-wearing hero and their trusty butler that their resident Robin didn't come straight home but was delayed for at least an hour before coming home. Hopefully tonight, Dick would be able to squeeze some answers out of the boy.

It was a perfect night for patrolling out. The sky had just enough smog for coverage but the moon had refused to dim in support of the two heroes' crusade. The vigilantes hardly took too much thought into the weather's kind consideration as both of their hands were too busy pulling punches and throwing kicks. For them it was just another night, too many people to save and only so many hours in a night. The latest Dark Knight and his protégée had throttled enough criminals for the city to last a lifetime but it was never enough. Nothing would ever satisfy this city's need for evil. Arkham Asylum would never hold its captives tight enough but there's always time to save the city from itself. The world would still be broken in the morning.

"Damien, we need to talk." Still suited up, Richard felt more confident in confronting the former assassin he's partnered with. The hooded hero kept walking up the stairs. He was tired of all the attention Grayson had started to give, as it was more so than the usual cuddliness. Why couldn't one go to bed if he pleased?

Dick became somewhat aggravated. He raised his voice not angrily but commandingly, "Damien, I'm talking to you!"

"Fine, I acknowledge you, Grayson!" The bats in the Bat Cave would've been very displeased but, fortunately, they would not be back for a few more hours. Damien's snap did not go unnoticed even slightly by Dick but remaining calm he asked once more, "Where do you go after school?"

"Someplace where no one should follow." Cryptic and cynical seemed to be very Damien at that point. In exasperation, Batman sank into the computer chair before resuming his much more important work. He wouldn't be going to work tomorrow. Good thing it was Fox who was written off as head of Wayne Industries until Damien was 18 for Dick had no idea how Bruce did. Balancing a life of crime fighting and a life of a half-serious billionaire playboy extraordinaire seems like an impossible act. A headache seeped into Dick the more he thought of the World's Greatest Detective and his illegitimate son.

"Where does he go?" Dick asked himself with the angst-ridden child still on his mind as he halfway dozed off. A beeping noise alerted him of more trouble in Gotham. He resolved to tail Damien tomorrow after school got out. Besides, only one mystery can be solved at a time.

The elementary school bell rang at an annoying pitch. The first one out was definitely Damien. His dark, wild hair continued to be tossed around in the wind that was beginning to pick up. The only one to notice him seemed to be the only man who was definitely _not_ supposed to be there yet no one noticed _him_, either. Dick noted that Robin didn't get on the bus like he was supposed to; instead he chose to run as the remaining autumn leaves wriggled and floated by their feet. Getting to his feet, Dick leapt from rooftop to rooftop while his partner ran on the sidewalk below.

Quickly, Dick fell into the nonexistent race. He remained a respectful distance behind to prevent Damian from seeing him. Then Damien dropped behind a building, momentarily obscuring Dick's view. The older man immediately jumped down to find his charge had disappeared.

A curse flew from his lips and he promised to find out Damien's whereabouts tomorrow.

The same thing happened day after day and Damien took absolutely no notice or he did but purposely chose not to comment on his mentor's strange behavior.

Finally, Dick decided to just perch himself on the precipice of the building that he usually lost Damien at. Checking his watch repeatedly he waited for Damien to appear. The kid never showed up. An exasperated sigh escaped the crusader's lips for he realized that the boy was much more alert about his presence than he'd like to admit. Still, he refused to be deterred from his mission.

"Master Richard," Alfred, forever a busybody of a butler, interrupted Dick's chain of thought, "I do think it's time to go work, don't you agree?"

"How do you manage to undermine me and submit to me at the same time?" Two chuckles followed this question. Another sigh, but this time it was of regret, came from Richard. He was getting extremely tired of Damien's evasiveness and persistence that it wasn't his business. A thunderstorm continued to roar outside with lightning and freezing rains to match the mood of the household. Hopefully, Damien was in the mood to share was the only thing Dick prayed for as he made his way to the boy's room two stair steps at a time.

Dick knocked softly at the door before creaking it open. He called out tentatively, "Damien, are you in here?"

When he got no answer he called out a little more firmly after stepping in a small ways. An answer finally came from the direction of the window. Damien was perched on the sill as he watched the rain outside pour absentmindedly. It had become so dark that the reflection of both males was visible.

"Just… go away Grayson." There was something about that statement that seemed almost hurt. There was always something about the rain that made Damien seem different whenever they weren't suited up. He seemed almost in pain and a lot more soft-spoken than usual. It was always a weird transition for Alfred and Dick when in the middle of a disagreement Damien seems to just shut down because it started to rain.

"Could you just tell me where you go after school?" Damien scowled but Richard refused to give in, "Then can you tell me why you're so sad when it rains?"

"My mom hated the rain." He finally admitted however quietly. To Dick, it was as if Damien was talking to himself and trying to remember things that he didn't want to remember. Still, the man by the door way was severely confused, "Why would Talia hate the rain?"

Damien winced, "Not her, I mean my real mom."

"I'm not following."

"Before, I showed up here I ran away from my escort and I was missing for a good three months." Damien began slowly and Dick refused to say anything until he was a hundred percent sure that the boy had nothing more to add, "This woman and her daughter took me into their home without question but then the woman disappeared and her daughter was sent to live somewhere else. The League of Shadows found me at their old apartment before sending me back here.

"I think I miss her. Don't tell anyone I said that." Damien had managed to slip into his old self before his eyes softened again and his mind went far away, "Especially Helena."

"Who's Helena?" Dick finally spoken up but Damien had closed himself up like a telescope that furled into itself, tighter and tighter until it seemed very small. The glazed over look in his eyes contradicted the slightest smirk that his comrade had detected. The rain continued to pound even as the sun slowly rose off in the distance. Richard pried himself away from the room of Damien.

The young boy had given his mentor much to ponder over as he went through the motions of his alter ego quite half-heartedly. There was something that had always plagued this overly comprehensive genius and who knew that he was technically orphaned just like the rest of them?

Bruce must've thought that this child, delivered to his doorstep was a complete and utter bastard. The arrogance he had exuded and the audacity he boasted made him the epitome of the word in the literal sense and the derogatory form. Still, it was unfair of the original Batman to push away the boy when in hindsight he was just acting accordingly to what he deemed was appropriate and as subconscious way to protect his self. Surely, Wayne Senior should've realized. Dick felt torn by his loyalty to his adoptive father and his fragile protégé who was probably unaware of how breakable he really was. For once, this new Batman really understood the pain his adoptive father had gone through and how much that man was missing in his new son's life.

Stormy skies were threatening to sob its woes onto Gotham's grounds for the entire week. So Grayson stopped following the former assassin to his hide out and chose a new routine. After every patrol, Damien would stare out the window of his room with that woeful and distant look on his face and tell his caretaker a story about his mother or her daughter who seemed like a very independent young lady.

"Mom loved shiny things," The second night began with his line. Dick had hardly settled into the room when Damien had begun. The thick comforter was soft when the older man had eased himself onto the bed as he wondered why his ward always curled up on the cold, stiff windowsill instead. Damien pressed his forehead against the freezing windowpane and the shadows of the lightning casted made him look quite unapproachable as he was still in his crime-fighting get up, "Whether it be jewelry or very clean, fine china she seemed to always ogle it. I remember Helena telling me that Mom used to be thief because of her addiction to these little treasures. It took giving birth to Helena for her to be able to realize what her greatest treasures were: family. Apparently, Helena was the result of Mom's ex-boyfriend and was still madly in love with him. Mom was clearly affixed with her animals as well. She loved all sorts of them… except for dogs. She hates dogs but for some reason she likes wolves just fine."

Richard stood up, sensing that the abrupt halt was his cue to take his leave for the night. His young friend's face went back to the snobbish, defiant look he used to mask his thoughts and most honest emotions.

The third night, Damien had barely peeled off his domino mask and sat down when his words came tumbling out, "My mom had a thing for nicknames. She had a bad tendency to call Helena and I 'Kitten' but for her actual cats that there were scores of she would call them something along the lines of 'honey' or 'sweetheart'. She was certainly a strange woman. There was something about names that were so vital to her; in fact, Helena was named after a woman that mom worked with and secretly admired. To her, names were reflections on our personalities and if we didn't like our own name it was evident we didn't even like ourselves. In fact, she almost convinced me to change my last name because it didn't suite the person I had become. That doesn't matter, anymore, I'm now the person I once was."

Damien knew that there was pity and sympathy written all over the goofball's face but he refused to acknowledge it. He didn't need a fool's pity and he certainly didn't need Grayson hanging on him like a mother hen. The bone-chilling rain seemed so much more welcoming in comparison than Grayson's stupid "hugs of comfort". If the only way to prevent that particular idiot from hugging him he would gladly jump out of the window.

Slowly, Damien's idiot rose and left like usual and he was surprised that there was no movement to comfort him tonight or any of the previous nights. The next four days were spent with more tidbits of Damien's formerly blissful life and a severe lack of comfort from Dick. Their day-to-day actions were routinely mundane and didn't even hint to the slightly morbid stories that were revealed in a very dazed and unwelcoming manner. Of course, Damien did all the talking while the older companion listened like a ghost who just happened to eavesdrop on the other's darkest and most personal mutterings.

There was something about how the seventh day that made Grayson's skin crawl with an excited urge. Whether the urge was positive or negative was as clear as the outcome. Dressed up in his casual wear, he easily jumped from the rooftops as he followed the messy mop of black hair from above and didn't expect to see a change in the routine they had a week before. Though fate had decided differently. Damien stayed in his keeper's line of sight.

Quickly yet hesitantly, Richard followed him down into the Gotham sewer's and quietly tracked the brunette's movements. Gotham's sewage system reeked of rat feces and sewer water but looked even worse. Dick naturally took in every detail as continued to tail his ward. Of course, Damien checked his surroundings as well, but Dick was surprised he was never caught. It almost was strange to think of Damien acting as he is for usually his vigilance was rather admirable, in fact, it almost seemed as if he was leading Grayson into a trap. Immediately, his paranoia reduced him to a twitchy little creature that checked around every corner and investigated every sound, sometimes irrationally. Eventually, he felt himself foolish and refocused on his task at hand.

Quickly, he checked for Damien's position.

The young boy wonder was gone. Racing ahead, Dick realized that there was an exit above and made quick work of climbing it. He quietly lifted the cover and saw Damien rushing to the end of the alleyway that they were located in. Grayson pulled his self out of the hole and pushed closed the cover before continuing the pursuit.

The little Robin scurried nimbly through the crowded and dirty Gotham streets before ducking into another alley. He repeated the whole process multiple times by weaving in and out of the sewers, streets, and even over buildings. Even then he cautiously lapped around and backtracked several times, as if he was trying to lose a chaser. If this young Batman hadn't been a professional or knew Gotham like the back of his hand he certainly would've been confused and hopelessly lost, but he was so the chase continued. Dick checked his watch and realized he had been tracking Damien for at least twenty minutes, although it felt like hours.

Finally, the young brunette ducked into an old apartment building. The place was rundown, but still a cozy place to live, considering that it was Gotham.

"Mom's not going to be happy you took from her coin jar." Dick heard from his sidekick as he leaned towards the building while seating on the ledge above. Damien had arrived at a top apartment and was speaking to the person doing dishes. Dick didn't get a clear look at her, but knew enough to know that she had long braided, black hair and was of a shorter stature, roughly 14 judging by her stature. The teen laid down her dish and shut off the water before replying, "I needed some lunch money. Some of my hours got cut again."

He heard the abandoned boy sigh, "Could you please take my offer?"

"No," she stated firmly without hesitation, Dick could tell that they've had this discussion many times before, "I don't want to be in anyone's debt, especially when it comes to money."

"You don't have to pay me back. Dick gives me enough allowance and I usually end up spending most of it on cat food, you know that." He tried to placate her and apparently it sounded overdone even in his own ears, "Look, I just don't want you to suffer unnecessarily."

"You've helped enough."

Utterly surprised by his kindness, Dick was amazed and completely blown away by Damien's words. There was a moment of silence before the man in hiding heard mewling cats in which Damien responded to their calls, "Hey, are you hungry, you guys?"

"I already fed Diamond and Bitter. Precious and Scar still haven't come back." The young women called to him. Damien sounded like he was searching the cupboards. He obtained the objects of his desire and fed the numerous cats that Damien oddly knew. Then it clicked to Dick that this was Damien's "Mom's" apartment so the girl inside was probably Helena. Idly, Batman wondered how long Helena had been living alone. It probably coincided with the time that Damien started to come home later. This would certainly explain his strange behavior. Helena finished putting away the dishes.

Helena began to hum as Dick heard her chopping vegetables and dropping them into boiling water, "Baby Bird, do you want to stay for dinner?"

"No, you know I can't."

"Well, you can't stop a girl from trying." She gave a slight laugh before returning to her task.

Damien snapped at her, "Stop calling me Baby Bird!"

"I can't help it, Mom thought it was hilarious when you become Robin."

The couch creaked under Damien's weight and Dick thought he heard the faint sounds of a cat purring and assumed there was one beside him, "When do you think Mom will come back?"

"I don't know. She seemed so scared the last time I saw her. I am sure she'll come back though." She muttered the last line mostly to herself as if she was reassuring herself of something that she strongly doubted but had faith in nonetheless, "Besides, you're going to middle school next year, do you really think she's going to miss that?"

"… No," he replied sullenly and stubbornly. An exasperated sigh escaped the boy's lips as he rose to leave, "I think I should go now, I'll see you tomorrow. Go to school."

"Shouldn't I be the one to say that, Baby Bird?" She teased as she closed the door behind him. Damien trudged through a shortened version of the path he had taken through the rain that had started to downpour harshly and unexpectedly. Carelessly, Dick raced through the city to find an alternate route home away from the new information that he had acquired albeit dishonestly. He finally came home soaked to the bone and thoroughly enlightened.

His younger counterpart had arrived only minutes before and Alfred had him situated by the fire in dry clothes but damp hair. Still dripping, Grayson sat beside him.

With no hesitation, he hugged the boy who surprisingly hugged him back.

**AN: I've hoped that you've enjoyed this and will review. Thank you.**


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